My dad wanted to name me all kinds of stupid things. Finally a co-worker suggested my name; my dad liked it, and my mom was just relieved it wasn't completely ridiculous. The same thing happened again with my sister's name (which was fairly unusual twenty years ago but is now in the Top 10). I wish there was some kind of story or even a little thought behind my name.

The story changes slightly every time I ask, but basically this: As soon as my mom found out she was pregnant she knew that I was a girl. She and my dad never entertained any name other than Emily for me, because a) "it was just my name" and b) they loved that it was pretty, unusual (ha!), and a little old-fashioned. My middle name was more of a struggle. My dad wanted Felecia for some unknown reason and my mom hated it. Madison was a family name that my parents were considering in that off chance that I was a boy, and my mom suggested it for my middle name last minute and it stuck.

My sister was going to be CharlotteMackenzie, but our great-grandfather Charlie died a few months before she was born. My parents didn't want our family thinking she was named after him and have to deal with any hurt feelings because I wasn't named after anyone. They named her Sarah instead. My mom and my sister really wish they'd stuck to Charlotte. Sarah would have been JoshuaHamilton had she been a boy.

My parents put little to no effort in to my name. They just went with what they liked. They didn't even talk about names till I was born. I know they considered Karen, Sarah and Ellen for me. I was very nearly a Sarah, but my mum changed her mind.

My mum originally wanted to name me Robin (which mainly is used as a boys name here in Denmark) because the European Robin is her favourite bird. My mémé absolutely despised the name though, and I think I have her to thank for not being named Robin right now. She then contemplated naming me Selma after her great-grandmother, but for some reason she decided against it (sadly, I absolutely adore that name). Finally she watched some film and in the credits she saw Zelia and apparently instantly knew that it was the name. Elvira, which is my middle name, is after my great-grandmother whose name was LauraElvira.